The Anaheim chapter of the Professional Hockey Writers’ Association (PHWA) has announced that defenseman Urho Vaakanainen has been selected as the Ducks’ nominee for the 2023-24 Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy. This award is given annually to the NHL player who best embodies perseverance, sportsmanship, and dedication to hockey.
The recipient will be chosen at the end of the regular season by the full PHWA’s 32 chapters. Vaakanainen, 25, has achieved career highs in points, goals, assists, and appearances this season, including scoring his first NHL goal on January 25 at Dallas.
He has notably overcome injury setbacks to participate in his first full NHL season, including missing significant portions of previous seasons due to injury. Since joining Anaheim in 2022, Vaakanainen has accumulated 1-23=24 points and 38 penalty minutes in 133 career NHL games with Anaheim and Boston.
Notable past nominees for the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy from Anaheim include Jakob Silfverberg, Ryan Getzlaf, and Teemu Selanne, who was the recipient in the 2005-06 season. The winner of the Masterton Trophy will be chosen through a poll among the 32 chapters of the PHWA at the end of the regular season.
Each team nominates a player, and the list will be narrowed to three finalists, with the winner being named at the NHL Awards in June. This prestigious award was first presented in 1968 to honor the late Bill Masterton, who tragically passed away as a result of head injuries suffered during a game.